Deeper Water

A passionate advocate for the protection and rights of whales and dolphins, author Len Varley continues the story of the captive dolphins of Taiji, Japan, and the world's marine parks in his sequel to Salt Water Tears.

Weaving recollections, observations, and eyewitness accounts together into a richly compelling tapestry, he offers up a deeper understanding of the intimate, profound, and often dangerously complicated relationship shared between cetaceans and humans.

Varley tells us that the dolphins' gift to us is reconnection-both with ourselves and our environment. He challenges us to step up to the mark as planetary guardians and to recognize that we do not possess a right of ownership over the creatures of our planet.

Saying their goodbyes on leaving Taiji, Varley and his colleagues are presented with the gift of a hand-drawn Japanese kanji character by a member of the Japanese Police Special Task Force. It is the symbol for "Life, Soul and Spirit" It is a simple yet powerful acknowledgement honouring the passion and commitment of those who stand in defence of the dolphins, and it perfectly summarises the core sentiment of Deeper Water.